DRON KS. 



US 



DKONES. 



lir\ ed tliat this loi'iu ol' I'Xcliult'r is siiptTtir 

 i<i tlif old pevt'onited nit'tal. 



Ht'saidiufj tlu' latter, unless the dies are 

 very sharp there will he a slif^ht rough bun- 

 edge on tlie under side of the sheet. It is 

 impossible to remove tiiis edge without re- 

 ducing the widtli of the perforation. For 

 I his reason the wire excluder will doubtless 

 supersede tlie other form of perforated zinc. 



The illustrations herewith shown give one 

 an idea of how the new excluder has been 

 applied to drone-traps and honej^-boards. 



nitONE-EXCLUDING ENTRANCE-GUARDS. 



If we put a strip of perforated zinc or wire 

 excluder over the entrance, the worker-bees 

 can go out, but the drones can not ; but as a 

 simple exchuler is liable to get clogged if 

 if there are many drones in the hive, an 

 arrangement shown below is usually used. 



ZiNl- EXTKAXCE-tU Alii). 



Tliis is simply a strip of perforated metal, 

 .'^5x14 inches long, folded at right angles, as 

 shown. Each end is then closed with a 

 block l|xl|xi, fastened in place with a 

 couple of double-pointed tacks. To use, 

 place tight up against the entrance as rep- 

 resented in the cut. 



When it is desirable to get the drones all 

 out of a hive without permitting any to get 

 back again, we put the guard over the en- 

 trance and then shake all the bees in front 

 of the hive. The workers will, of course, 

 crawl back on the combs ; but the drones 



alley's drone-excluder. 



will have to stay out, and the queen too, 

 uidess we watch for her and put her into the 

 hive. In the morning, when the drones are 

 stiffened with cold, they may be fed to the 

 chickens or otherwise destroyed. 



If one objects to this method as being too 

 much trouble, he can try another way. On 

 a sunny day a very large part of the drones 



will i)e (Hit for a lly about 1 i". m., or a little 

 later. He is then to place the drone-guard at 

 the entrance ; and when the drones return 

 a little later they will be shut out. In the 

 evening they may be disposed of as before. 



The drone-excluder just described is not 

 automatic. Accordingly, the late Henry 

 Alley, of Wenham, Mass., devised the one 

 shown at the bottom of the first column. 



It is to be observed that this is similar to 

 the one just described, only it has a wire- 

 cloth cone in the top. The drones, after 

 making a fruitless attempt to pass the met- 

 al, will enter tlie wire-cloth cone in the top. 



WIKE ALLEY TKAT'. 



and escape ; but none will have sense enough 

 to go back the way they came, but will hud- 

 dle together outside and await their fate. 



If it is desirable to get the drones into a 

 box, so they may be carried to some other 

 apiary, for instance, a cage is made with an 

 upper story, and a couple of these wire cones 

 conduct the drones " up stairs." If any 

 worker-bees should go up too, they can read- 

 ily go up through the perforated zinc. This 

 latter arrangement is shown in the cut above. 



As to how this trap may be used for catch- 

 ing swarms, see Swarming, elsewhere. 



rearing drones out of season. 

 This is quite a difficult matter to accom- 

 plish, especially in the spring ; and although 

 we have many times fed colonies with this 

 end in view, we have always found some 

 other colony that would have drones flying 

 just as soon, without any artificial aid. 

 Drones may be kept almost any length of 

 time by making the colonies containing 

 them queenless, or by putting them into 

 queenless colonies. During warm dry weath- 

 er in the summer or fall, drones may be pro- 

 cured by feeding, but the feeding must be 

 regular, and given every day for several 

 days or weeks. By feeding one colony a 

 barrel of sugar in the fall, we succeeded in 

 getting a nice lot of drones in October. Of 

 course, their combs were taken away and 

 empty ones given them, to give the queen 

 room. Before we can raise drones, we must 



